Top Military Officials are a Disgrace to Those They Lead

These poor excuse for officers do not deserve the
soldiers they dare claim they lead. We as a nation had better go out
and find us another Marshall, who at the beginning of World War II
fired hundreds of senior officers because they were not cutting it. We
need him today, as many of our senior officers are way overdue for a
one-way trip to the woodshed.

Amen, sir. Amen.

As many of you regular readers may know, I've had it up to here with some of the leadership that is fouling up my Army. Bad. Thieving oxygen. Stealing pay. While others go out of their way to do the right thing, no matter what the situation. They adapt- they conquer.

What started this was what a commenter put in under Uncle Jimbo's bit about the snipers, below. I looked up the Colonel's column, and he's saying what I'm thinking. It relates to the the treatment of the snipers...

But what ISN'T being said is the far-reaching effect this treatment will have on the war on terror- WIDE ranging.

Remember the bit I posted about what The One said about who he REALLY feared in Afghanistan?

Was I afraid of these guys [villagers]? No. Was I afraid of their
possible buddies in the Taliban? No. Was I afraid of the liberal
media back in the U.S.A.?Yes.

Add to that now, ''will the JAG prosecute me anyway for following orders?"

Think about this- your job is as a sniper or scout; be it SEAL, OGA, SF, Ranger. Your job is to find a hide in the Afghan mountains, monitor the situation, and take 'appropriate action'. While you are out, what's going to change back in the head shed while you're on the move? Are you going to take that chance? The One and team lost comms- what do YOU do? And this ain't no LRC station, either!

Are we now going to see Marine companies prosecuted as a whole for Fallujah? Will the lawyers for KSM demand he be let go because of how he was captured by OGA?

WHERE THE HELL HAS LEADERSHIP GONE IN THE MILITARY? Where the hell is INTEGRITY in the officer corps? You cannot convince me, yet, that LTG Kearney is showing integrity by this prosecution when 2 other investigations have cleared them.

Its not all doom and gloom- I met some fantastic people over there, fighting the good fight, making things happen, and working their a$$ off. Then, we get people like BG Kimmit, and a few others, who never should have been selected. I realize good talent is always hard to find, no matter what field of endeavor, but hey, aren't WE supposed to be grooming these people ourselves???

I stand by my comments about LTG Kearney, that his Ranger exposure and experience may not be the best for what his position requires- especially given that we are in an Asymmetric environment that is still being studied and defined every single day, globally. Over-rigidness will get you killed in many instances.

One of the basic principles of leadership I learned early on in one of my command assignments was that if I was willing to trust someone to conduct a mission, and I put them on the mission, then I better be ready to trust what judgment they used in its conduct. If THEY screwed up, I screwed up. Leadership is far more than just teaching what's in 11-1/2 or 670-1. And its far more than being the one who yells and belittles the loudest, as well. Leadership is just as much about mentorship and applying those principles and processes in your subordinates. Then applying as much pressure-intense training as you can and see who can swim, or who sinks. The best leaders can apply that in REAL situations, not just training.

And have the integrity and fortitude to make the call on those that can, or cannot. No matter what level.

Remember this- good management does NOT imply good leadership- far from it.

A SEVERE culling of the herd is due.

-Wolf

I am concerned for the security of our great Nation;
not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the
insidious forces working from within.

One cannot wage war under present conditions without
the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the
press and other forms of propaganda.

Comments

Top Military Officials are a Disgrace to Those They Lead

These poor excuse for officers do not deserve the
soldiers they dare claim they lead. We as a nation had better go out
and find us another Marshall, who at the beginning of World War II
fired hundreds of senior officers because they were not cutting it. We
need him today, as many of our senior officers are way overdue for a
one-way trip to the woodshed.

Amen, sir. Amen.

As many of you regular readers may know, I've had it up to here with some of the leadership that is fouling up my Army. Bad. Thieving oxygen. Stealing pay. While others go out of their way to do the right thing, no matter what the situation. They adapt- they conquer.

What started this was what a commenter put in under Uncle Jimbo's bit about the snipers, below. I looked up the Colonel's column, and he's saying what I'm thinking. It relates to the the treatment of the snipers...

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The Authors

Former Paratrooper and Army Officer, "Blackfive" started this blog upon learning of the valorous sacrifice of a friend that was not reported by the journalist whose life he saved. Email: blackfive AT gmail DOT com

Instapinch
Bill Paisley, otherwise known as Pinch, is a 22 year (ongoing) active and
reserve naval aviator. He blogs over at www.instapinch.com on a veritable
cornucopia of various and sundry items and will bring a tactical naval
aviator's perspective to Blackfive. Readers be warned: any comments of or
about the F-14 Tomcat will be reverential and spoken in low, hushed tones.
Email: wpaisley AT comcast DOT net

Mr. Wolf has over 26 years in the Army, Army NG, and USAR. He’s Airborne with 5 years as an NCO, before becoming an officer. Mr. Wolf has had 4 company commands. Signal Corp is his basic branch, and Public Affairs is his functional area. He recently served 22 straight months in Kuwait and Iraq, in Intel, PA, and senior staff of MNF-I. Mr. Wolf is now an IT executive. He is currently working on a book on media and the Iraq war. Functional gearhead.

In Iraq, he received the moniker of Mr. Wolf after the Harvey Kietel character in Pulp Fiction, when "challenges" arose, they called on Mr. Wolf...
Email: TheDOTMrDOTWolfAT gmail DOT com

Deebow is a Staff Sergeant and a Military Police Squad Leader in the Army National Guard. In a previous life, he served in the US Navy. He has over 19 years of experience in both the Maritime and Land Warfare; including deployments to Southwest Asia, Thailand, the South Pacific, South America and Egypt. He has served as a Military Police Team Leader and Protective Services Team Leader and he has served on assignments with the US State Department, US Air Force Security Police, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. He recently spent time in Afghanistan working with, training and fighting alongside Afghan Soldiers and is now focused on putting his 4 year Political Science degree to work by writing about foreign policy, military security policy and politics.

McQ has 28 years active and reserve service. Retired. Infantry officer. Airborne and Ranger. Consider my 3 years with the 82nd as the most fun I ever had with my clothes on. Interests include military issues and policy and veteran's affairs.
Email: mcq51 -at - bellsouth -dot- net

Tantor is a former USAF navigator/weapon system officer (WSO) in F-4E Phantoms who served in the US, Asia, and Europe. He is now a curmudgeonly computer geek in Washington, DC, picking the taxpayers pocket. His avocations are current events, aviation, history, and conservative politics.

Twenty-three years of Active and Reserve service in the US Army in SF (18B), Infantry and SOF Signal jobs with operational deployments to Bosnia and Africa. Since retiring he's worked as Senior Defense Analyst on SOF and Irregular Warfare projects and currently ensconced in the emerging world of Cyberspace.

The Authors Emeritus

Major Pain --
A Marine who began his blog in Iraq and reflects back on what he learned there and in Afghanistan. To the point opinions, ideas and thoughts on military, political and the media from One Marine’s View.Email: onemarinesview AT yahoo DOT com

Uber Pig was an Infantryman from late 1991 until early 1996, serving with Second Ranger Battalion, I Corps, and then 25th Infantry Division. At the time, the Army discriminated against enlisted soldiers who wanted use the "Green to Gold" program to become officers, so he left to attend Stanford University. There, he became expert in detecting, avoiding, and surviving L-shaped ambushes, before dropping out to be as entrepreneurial as he could be. He is now the founder of a software startup serving the insurance and construction industries, and splits time between Lake Tahoe, Boonville, and San Francisco, CA.

Uber Pig writes for Blackfive a) because he's the proud brother of an enlisted Civil Affairs Reservist who currently serves in Iraq, b) because he looks unkindly on people who make it harder for the military in general, and for his brother in particular, to succeed at their missions and come home in victory, and c) because the Blackfive readers and commenters help keep him sane.

COB6 spent 24 years in the active duty Army that included 5 combat tours with service in the 1st Ranger Battalion and 1st Special Forces Group . COB6 was enlisted (E-7) and took the OCS route to a commission. COB6 retired a few years back as a field grade Infantry officer.
Currently COB6 has a son in the 82nd Airborne that just returned from his third tour and has a newly commissioned daughter in the 4th Infantry Division.